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2011-01-26 - Alien Invasion? - Subway Stampede
Technology's running amuck, it would seem. Between malfunctioning traffic lights and cars with a mind of their own, it's been the kind of day to keep anyone busy -- especially those of a heroic persuasion! New Yorkers, of course, are hard to keep down, so even though they know there's a risk that their vehicles might go rogue, there's intense traffic through the city during rush hour. The gridlock isn't especially bad in this area today, but it could definitely be better. All it would take is one bad light, one car taking an unplanned turn.... Oscuros hovers above the scene, floating twenty or feet up in an alleyway as he observes the scene and runs scans for anything out of the ordinary. Those with psychic talents may pick up on the faint traces of energy he's sending out mentally as well, seeking to find an intelligence behind this phenomenon. However, as his shimmering blue optics survey the scene, he gives no sign of having found anything -- not, of course, that his helmet ever does much in the way of emoting, but even his body language is highly neutral at the moment. Technology... Why did it have to be technology. Diana, who has come to be known as 'Wonder Woman' in some circles of the media and more, was not exactly the most technical savy person around. Quite the opposite actually. Hell, it took some help from Cassie to get her to learn how an alarm clock worked! But, while the technology of tihs world was something that Diana was still trying to get used to, it was something that she could at least accept. Except now, it was starting to run amok on it's own accord. It was one thing when the alarm clock you tried to learn how to use refused to tell the right time, but it was something else entirely when it wouldn't stop beeping at you! Needless to say, Diana is out one alarm clock. And that was just the beginning of her day! While she had been trying to keep a low profile these past weeks (and mostly succeeding) this situation was forcing her to be more visible. She wasn't sure where to start looking for the underlying source of this new problem, so for the moment, she was doing the only thing she could think of... Taking care of things has they happen... As such, she was out in her full armored regalia as she flew through the skies. Better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it... Elizraim walks along the city streets, keeping eir eyes out for cars, a little smile on eir face. "(I told them so,)" ey says quietly in a foreign tongue, shaking eir head. "(Technology has turned against them, as I knew it would. They harnessed powers beyond their ability. As expected...this is the result.)" Ey frowns, and looks upward at the armored figure floating in the sky. The frown turns to a scowl. "(Such foolishness. Flying, in armor of that nature?)" And then, ey spots the armored woman flying as well, and the scowl deepens. Elizraim is empathically scanning Oscuros. Oscuros is calm and thoughtful, making little effort to conceal his emotions. He is intellectually engaged in his work, curious and mildly concerned, but in general his emotional state is somewhere between "stable" and "controlled." Elizraim It begins with a small point of light, a faint blue ball that appears from nowhere, hovering slightly above a nearby rooftop. It expands with a crackling of static energy, becoming a orb of cycling electricity the size of a man. Within the sphere a ripple of the air occurs and from that ripple a man appears. The crackling energy surges back to its source, the glowing crystal upon the belt worn by the strangely garbed new arrival now standing in place upon that roof. Those with the sense for it will likely have noticed the surge of Astral energy that accompanied the appearance of the Psyber Punk. Oscuros raises his helmeted head as he senses the approach of others, and he drifts a bit higher, clearing the rooftops of the buildings surrounding him. He is now quite visible to anyone who might look in his direction, though Elizraim would need to look straight up. Psyber Punk is closest and could see him most easily. As he hovers in place, he suddenly turns sharply to look down toward the street level, his optics flashing in tiny miniature of the HUD he's viewing: something's wrong, below. That's when a loud rumble shakes the street, as if something very large underground just moved rather unexpectedly. People reach for the nearest object to stabilize themselves. Drivers slam on their brakes. Perhaps unrelated, the street lights pick this moment to flicker on. Diana instantly slows to a near hover as Psyber Punk appears on a rooftop below. Glancing towards the newcomer, she slows the rest of the way to a floating stop as her turns her head towards Oscuros as he hovers up above the rooftops. Taking in the whole situation, she can only pause and blink behind her helmet at the sudden rumble under the ground below her. The corners of her mouth curl down just so slightly in a faint frown. "By Athena..." She says mostly to herself (since nobody was close enough to hear her, normally.) "What was that?" Elizraim scowls still more, stumbling and bracing emself against the wall. Another arrival...and then, soon after, what is clearly working up to be big, big trouble. "(I should simply leave them to their fate...they have earned it. However, let it not be said that I am without kindness.)" Ey takes a quick look around, then ducks into an alley for a quick change. Those with psychic or empathic senses may note that some sort of energy is currently being gathered from the people in the area (not any of the heroes), and flowing into the alley. Pysber Punk takes a moment to survey his surroundings, his begoggled gaze flick this way and that. "Huh.. flying woman.." he says to himself and a heartbeat later adds, "Huh.. flying.. robot? Guy? Sith Lord?" He lifts a hand casually to his cowboy hat and gives it a tip in the direction of the hovering folks just before the rumbling is felt. Grabbing the rooftop's edge for support with one hand the other moves to his goggles, his will focuses there, the lenses light up with an inner glow as he attempts to discern what's going on through use of his Aura Specs. Those with the senses to perceive it will notice that the trouble is big, indeed: a subway train has just jumped its track, barreling uncontrolled in a new direction and gaining speed with each moment. With as many different trains that run in the city, it could be disastrous indeed if this particular train were to take a wrong turn -- into, say, a dead end, or worse, another train! The people on the train, for those who can see or sense them, are clinging to whatever they can grab, terrified and crying out for help. Oscuros turns to give a sharp nod to Psyber Punk, then he drops like a stone to land, crouched, on the sidewalk. He looks out into the street, extending one gauntleted hand and levitating a manhole cover to allow access to the underground. That's when a car suddenly revs its engine, accelerating intstead of stopping, and slams right into Oscuros while he's focused on the subway train. Other cars seem to respond, as though a veritable stampede were about to begin.... The situation was going from just strange to very dangerous very quickly! Wonder Woman can't see whats happening underground, but she does see the cars suddenly start speeding up and apparently, attacking the dark armored figure. Too late to do anything about the first one, however as the second one starts speeding up, Diana suddenly moves with all the speed she has. It was almost like stepping in front of a runaway bull... only a bit bigger... Diana braces for impact... The form that rises from the alley is far different than the one that went into it. For starters...costumed. But it's more than that. The form is larger now--perhaps in its mid-teens--and boasts brilliant silver wings from its back. Or perhaps it is even further from what entered. Considering all the fear Elizraim just absorbed, those with lower willpower might perceive em a little differently (as a negatively-aligned creature from their culture's lore). Several people certainly seem to see em as such, though there's too much going on to pay that much attention to em right now. Regardless, ey flies down towards Oscuros, looking at the armored man. "Do you require aid, mortal?" Pysber Punk, alas, is not some sort of super man, and he can't fly, but he shall not be stopped, don't even try! With the armored figured in danger he leaps from the room top, his duster flutter out dramatically behind him as he falls through the air towards the ground below. He flings out his right hand and a glowing limb of blueish energy stretches forth and snags a hold of the nearest light post, allowing him to swing into literal action as downward momentum is transferred into arcing motion. He releases his hold upon the light post and drops the rest of the way to the street, now he hesitates, unsure where to best utilize his talents. The result of Diana standing up to the oncoming car can only be described as "epic." She doesn't give even in inch of ground as she catches the car, using her strength so well that she not only stops the car on a dime, but she manages to ease it to a stop well enough to also stop two more behind it without injury or great damage to drivers or vehicles. The other approaching cars literally slam to a stop and hesitate, almost seeming intimidated by the Amazon princess's feat of might. Oscuros is knocked back a dozen feet or so by the oncoming car, and he manages to roll aside before it hits him again. The car pulls up onto the sidewalk, apparently intending to make a getaway. Its driver, seizing an opportunity, leaps free and lands without extreme harm on a pile of trash bags at the mouth of an alleyway. As Oscuros gets somewhat shakily to his feet, he regards the form of Elizraim with shimmering optics and a hint of caution in his body language. "You," he speaks in the deeply resonant, synthesized tones of his vocalizer, "are manifesting a psychic aura... yes?" He almost sounds confused, as if the car hit him hard enough to rattle him in the head. Psyber Punk, meanwhile, is now close enough to really feel the rumble of the subway train as it shoots past, still careening out of control and gaining speed. Oscuros is bothered by whatever image he perceives of Elizraim, but his rational mind is rejecting it as impossible. Elizraim Iron Man has arrived. If Wonder Womans little display of strength and finess were a way of showing off, she certainly didn't look all that smug about it. In fact, her facial expression (what can be seen of it from under her archaic-looking helmet) hasn't changed one Iota. She looks at the cars that have stopped, and then looks at the drivers that might be in any of them. "... Get out. Now." She says simply, hazarding a quick glance at Oscuros as well. "Whatever you are planning on doing..." she says as she continues her staredown of the vehicles. "Now might be a good time for it." Elizraim nods. "That is apparently the truth," ey says, and looks towards the now-stopped cars, hearing the rumble of the subway below. "The situation in the depths grows dire. I fear I am unable to assist. I shall remain to provide aid here." Ey wings towards the cars, hovering above the road but near Diana. "M..." Ey stops, and starts again. "Citizens!" Ey points towards the alleyway. "Do as the woman asked. Exit your...automobiles and move with caution and haste to the alleys! The walls will provide some defense." Ey looks over at Diana. "My lady, think you that your talents may be put to use regarding the danger below?" "Great.. Darth Roadkill's got a concussion," Psyber Punk says at how shakey Oscuros looks, and sounds, even with the synthesizer doing the speaking. He shakes his head, feels the tremors from below and takes a steadying breath, this may be up to him after all. "Prolly about to get myself killed," he drawls out, but that doesn't stop him from leaping right down that conveniently opened manhole cover and into the unknown depths below. Huzzah! Geronimo! Allons-y and so forth. Which is the point at which Iron Man descends out of the sky at a window rattling speed. He sees somebody vanish underground...hesitates...then moves to follow. It does seem as if...the weird woman from some foreign country has the cars under control. And she seems to be working with a demon. So...he's going to worry about whatever's going on in the subway. It can't be good. Drivers spill from their cars, fleeing to open alleyways as Elizraim and Diana have suggested. As they begin to get clear, though, the cars begin to get restless. Engines are revved, and it's clear that they seem to have it in their heads -- if one can say that about cars at all -- to try another charge. They may be harder to contain than it first seemed. Below, the train begins to pass the others by. Fortunately, Iron Man is on the scene. He'll find that the nearby subway station is in an uproar as an unscheduled train shoots past at speeds that rather shatter safety regulations. People are shouting and confused, and it's even worse inside: the passengers are in a blind panic, verging on rioting within the enclosed space. Oscuros seems to get ahold of himself, and he gives a slow nod to Elizraim. He glances to Brody, and his vocalizations fail to even sound annoyed. "If you must address me, you may call me 'Oscuros.' I am not a Sith Lord." He turns to face the cars and Diana, adding in an utterly deadpan tone, "My lightsaber is blue." Then he lifts his hands, sending a ripple of telekinesis out through the cars to casually pull a few wires in their engines. It works, but unfortunately it only causes a second's hiccup in the vehicles' movements. Soon enough, they're starting to roll forward again. "I am open to suggestions," Oscuros finally answers Diana. The people are out of the way... Good. Diana would have done nothing that might have put their lives in danger, but now that they were in at least some relative safety... Well, if she absolutely had no other choice then to destroy these infernal machines, then she would. But still... The vehicles pause for a moment as Oscuros does his telekinesis trick, only to start right back up again. She glances at him for a brief moment, before looking back at the vehicles. "These things are acting like animals." She says evenly, might even be stating the obvious, but still. "Machines and technology are not something I know much about." She says before just trying something that could either work, or make her look like a naive fool. She straightens up a bit and steps toward the lead car, a slight frown and a stern tone in her voice. She points at it, and looks at the rest of them as well. "No!" She says, as if talking to a dog or other animal. "Bad... uh... cars." Elizraim hmphs. "Halt your advance, accursed machines!" Ey extends eir hand aside, and the golden armband on eir arm turns liquid, flowing into eir hand and taking a new form--a long, golden spear with a black, stone-like blade. "Halt at once, or you shall all be slain!" Truth be told, ey's not entirely sure that things like this can be slain, but ey intends to give it a good shot. At least there's one thing ey knows he can do. Ey hovers a little lower, and points his spear down at the tires of one of the cars. "Cease." As ey does so, ey feels something, and looks up for a moment. "There is something else...it is difficult to sense, over the wild fear below..." Ey focuses eir senses on attempting to find the telepathic signal ey is feeling. Pysber Punk lands down below conveniently near the subway station, it's just a short dash and there he is. Just in time. Just in time to watch the subway go roaring by, "Ummm.. great looks like I missed my train.." he mutters. "If I could just get to the train.. on it.." he reaches down to his Astralizer considering just how easy it would be to transfer to the subway going at that speed, and how safe it would be to appear on the in the subway car while it's going at that speed versus his relative velocity of practically none. "I definitely don't like that odds.." but he might not have much choice. It's not like some knight in shiny metal armor is going to come along and give him a ride. How about a knight in red metal armor? Iron Man, behind Psyber Punk and speaking quickly. "If you think you can do something once there, come on." Offering a hand. Of course, officially he shouldn't be encouraging non-Sentinel involvement, but the best he can think of to do is to fly past the train and then try to stop it with his own strength from in front...which might get messy. The idea of yelling at cars sounds a little absurd. Of course, they're acting alive and aware of the world around them, aren't they? There's small chance they understand English, but they do seem to recognize that Diana and Elizraim are dangerous. The vehicles hesitate, as if a bit unnerved by the pair. Still, that can't work forever. A dozen automobiles running wild: something needs to be done! The psychics present may begin to notice a distinct sort of "background hum," though. The cars are not truly sentient, nor are they "alive" in the traditional sense, but there does seem to be some kind of actual thought going on within them, almost like a swarm of many tiny minds, all acting together. Meanwhile, below, Iron Man and Psyber Punk come alongside the subway train. People press themselves up against the windows and scream for help. Then someone smashes out a window and starts trying to climb out. They better resolve this fast, as the dark walls are flashing by at alarming speed, the electrified rail giving the occasional crackle -- the train might go completely off the rails at any moment. Up on the street, Oscuros gives his head a mild shake. "Am I... confused from that impact... or are either of you able to perceive...?" He pauses, trailing off, then lifts one gauntleted hand to rest the fingers against his helmet. "There is an intelligence, here. A gestalt entity of some kind." No, this couldn't last forever... Diana had no misgivings that she would be able to talk these cars out of doing anything... but the longer she could delay them... well, the better the chances of some other option coming up. The cars hesitate... thats good for the moment. Buying time, as it was... "They act alive, thats all I know." She says simply as she slowly slides one foot back, lowering her center of gravity just slightly. "We could be thankful that it is just small vehicles, at least?" She might have been trying to tell a joke there, if not for the dead even tone in her voice... Elizraim looks down at the cars. "An entity...controlling these..." Ey still blames technology. "Very well. If there is a connection..." Ey raises a hand, which glows with silvery light. "Warrior. Be at the ready." With that, ey fires a silvery blast of pure emotional energy into the psionic energy within one of the vehicles. Against mortals, it can cause pain, disorientation, stunning, and ultimately unconsciousness. Against semi-living automobiles? Ey has no idea. Psyber Punk is totally not squeeeeing at getting a ride along from Iron Man. Totally not. Nor yeee-hawwing, though the temptation is there. Instead he's holding tight until the come along side the subway. "This should do... going the same speed oughta make this a cinch.." he spots the passenger trying to flee the car in suicidal fashion. No time to lose, "Handle the jumper I got this." He triggers his Astralizer, vanishing in a blue glow of crackling energy, with that subway car as his destination, a quick little blip through the Astral Plane his means of travel. Iron Man streaks down the walkway side of the train, slowing as he approaches the jumper. His voice, of course, is modulated to protect his identity, no emotion showing in it. "Stay on the vehicle. You will be much safer. We will have it stopped shortly." He IS a Sentinel...maybe people will listen. Or maybe they're in too much of a state of panic. The vehicle targeted by Elizraim's psychic attack gives a shudder, emitting a car-alarm burst of protest that sounds almost like a shriek of agony. Then, it falls still and ceases movement, its engine silent and still. Those who can sense it will note that the mental presence has receded from that vehicle, like a burnt hand dropping what it was holding. That, it seems, was quite effective. As for Iron Man, even with a total lack of facial features and limited vocal intonation he manages to startle the would-be jumpers back into the subway car. He's also making enough of a spectacle of himself that the rioting passengers stop clawing at each other to instead beat on the windows and shout to Iron Man, begging him for help. Meanwhile, Psyber Punk finds himself inside the subway's head car, where a frantic engineer is trying to do something to stop the train and having little success. As he spots the hero's dramatic entrance, he turns frantically to Psyber Punk. "The controls aren't responding! I don't know how to stop the train!" Well, that can't be good. Above, Oscuros observes Elizraim's attack. Then he gives a nod, a hint of an approving tone sneaking into his vocalizations. "Well done. If it has a mental presence, it can be disrupted. Let us liberate the remainder of these vehicles." This said, he puts his hand back up to his helmet, and a midnight blue shimmer radiates out from him in a wave, passing through a number of the affected automobiles. So, it was looking like they had an effective weapon against this... situation. Diana had no complaints about this. Better to win a battle without raising a weapon then then destroying an opposition utterly. She steps back a bit, letting Oscuros and Elizraim do what they do. It was effective, why interrupt them? She simply hovers up off the ground a bit and waits for the moment. Elizraim nods. "As expected. However, I held hope that the effect would spread..." He sighs. "So be it. I shall make the necessary effort." Ey wings backwards, getting out of the area covered by Oscuros' attack, and eir spear flows back into armband form. Ey crosses both arms across eir chest, and eir hands glow with the silvery energy, which soon spreads to eir whole body. "Warrior. Stand clear. I feel you shall not suffer great harm from this, but I wish to avoid even that." So saying, and giving her another moment, ey whips eir arms back out to eir sides, unleashing a large silver-light burst in all directions, covering several more of the vehicles. "Subway Repair, you called for a mechanic," Psyber Punk quips to the overwhelmed operator. "Well then let's see what the problem is," with that he slaps his bare left hand onto the console and focuses, attuning himself to the machine and channeling his psychic energy and will through it like he would his own devices, hoping that he can disrupt whatever craziness has it running out of control, or at least figure out the source, or some other way to stop it. "Trust me," Iron Man says. "Either I will stop this train or I will get you off before it crashes." A lot of people, but he is confident that he can do it. It's a shame that it's a subway train not an Amtrak train, or he would just decouple the locomotive then steady the carriages to a halt. As it is, this is going to take some time and thought. Iron Man has disconnected. Oscuros has initiated telepathic contact. If you do not consent to this, then please +tbreak now. Otherwise, you may respond with +t . Oscuros extends a mental contact, attempting to initiate telepathic "conversation." Elizraim's side of the connection has quite a bit of "static" of sorts. It is harder than usual to maintain the connection, and probably a bit irritating. "Speak." Above ground, the cars are swept with mingling midnight blue and silver-light energies. Each gives a sound of protest -- a shriek of gears, a honk of the horn, whatever it can manage -- before the mental presence retracts, and the cars go inert, sitting motionless in the street. Suddenly, it's a lot quieter up here. Below, Iron Man works on calming the passengers as Psyber Punk directly contacts the mechanism. His senses are immediately flooded with pychic sensation: there are a thousand tiny, simple minds coursing through the physical body of the train, and they're all but singing with enjoyment, as if they're taking great pleasure in simply fulfilling their function. However, they have no comprehension of the world, nor of what they're actually doing. When they sense Psyber Punk's mind, they seem drawn like moths to a flame. They begin to pay less attention to the train, instead sending him a chorus of tiny little mental contacts, amounting to little more than the chirping of baby chicks. The empathic gist of the message is roughly equivalent to "Are you our mother?!" On the surface, Oscuros lowers his hand and gives a slow nod, optics shimmering as he runs scans over the now-motionless vehicles. "It would appear that we have succeeded, at least for the moment." He moves closer to one of the vehicles, extending a small device from one gauntlet and beginning to scan it, apparently in greater focus. Oscuros presses as harmlessly through the mental static as he can, seeking only communication. "Elizraim. You know me." Empathically woven into the simple message is the understanding of who Oscuros -- rather, William -- is, as he does not seek to prevent the other's mind from recognizing him. Diana takes heed of Elizraim's warning and backs away even more before the wash of silver light burst is unleashed. And then? It's all relatively quiet... Diana continues to hover in the air, crossing her arms and simply nodding a bit. "Looks like that worked, praise Athena... I would have hated to have to destroy these things." She glances around at the people who might be starting to poke their heads out from behind the cover they were taking refuge behind. Elizraim certainly recognizes. "William. I am not entirely surprised. It is good that you are unhurt. Terra and Will would not forgive me if I had allowed you to perish before my eyes." Oscuros seems almost amused, in a distant and faint way. "Your concern is endearing, but I assure you I am fine. I confess, I'm not hit by a car every day, but my armor is sufficient to preseve my life from such a threat. At the moment, I'm more interested in what these creatures actually are. They do not appear, specifically, to be hostile." Elizraim is clearly tired, drooping somewhat in the air, and finally settles on to one of the now-deactivated cars to rest for a moment. "I...would not hate that terribly much," ey says, looking to Diana. "A world without these should become much calmer." Elizraim sends: "I care nothing for them, other than that they are gone. I told you your meddlings with these forces would lead to an ill end...now you see the beginnings. Do you believe the other capable of stopping the threat below?" Pyber Punk remembers the sage advice of one Winston Zedmore. "When someone asks are you a god... you say YES!" If it's good enough for gods it should hold just as true for mothers. He triggers his telecom to speak more directly with the minds he feels focusing in on him now. *Yes, sure, now you children need to behave yourselves and leave the nice machine alone so nobody gets hurt.* Oscuros sends: "From what I sense, perhaps... though I believe I will go and offer my assistance momentarily. Are you able to return home safely? I do not believe we should linger here for long. The police will no doubt arrive soon." Elizraim sends: "I shall be well, so long as I need not do that again. Do what you must." The entities that Psyber Punk has contacted do not understand English at all. However, they do seem to understand the empathic portion of his message. Quickly enough, they abandon their task within the train and instead migrate directly onto Psyber Punk, apparently literally climbing onto him, even though they cannot be seen. The train immediately returns to normal control, and as the control for the brakes is active, it gives a bit of a lurch and immediately starts to slow down to a normal speed. Success, it would seem! On the street, Oscuros retracts his scanning apparatus, levitating a small piece from one of the vehicles -- a sparkplug, it looks like -- and slipping it into a belt compartment. "I believe the situation is in hand. Wonder Woman, I leave this situation in your hands. I will go below and see how the others are faring." With that, he vanishes in a midnight blue ripple of Astral energies, fading from view. A second later, he rematerializes in the train's control compartment near Psyber Punk. "I see you have the situation well in hand," he observes, vocalization as toneless as usual. Well, it seems that all's well that ended well. At least up here. However, Diana was not getting a bad feeling of the situation down below either. She would leave that as it is for now. To Elizraim's comment, "A world with or without machines is not for us to choose. It belongs to them..." Slightly nodding towards all the people present. "We must simply be examples, and give them something to look up to." With that, she starts moving between the cars, checking for signs of possibly injured people... Hopefully, there is none, but it won't hurt to be sure. "Unfortunately, I must agree. This land is not mine to command." Elizraim wings into the air again, shuddering a little. "I...shall leave the rest to you, warrior. I can aid no more." With that, ey wings over the buildings, and takes a stop in the back alleys along the way to pick up the outfit ey'd left behind, before winging off towards "home." "Well in hand? Oh sure if you count being covered in invisible mental entities as having things handled, then yep, I got this totally covered," Pysber Punk says after giving the newly arrived Oscuros a surprised blink. He's also holding very still, except for the odd twitch or two, he is very manfully not flailing around or rolling about like crazy to try and get them off. Soon enough, people begin to emerge from the alleyways. A few, who had not yet escaped, begin emerging from their cars. In short order, Diana has a flock of people thanking her for saving them and generally seeking for reassurance and someone to look to for direction and understanding. At least she has experience as a people person, being royalty... right? Meanwhile, Iron Man is evacuating the subway train and getting people to safety. The engineer starts shutting down the engine and calls in to dispatch to let them know to reroute or shut down other trains as needed. Everything seems to be under control, indeed. Oscuros emits a soft, modulated chuckle. "They aren't dangerous to you. If anything, I would speculate that they seem to have an affection for you." He glances back at the engineer, then to Psyber Punk. "I would like to speak with you at greater length. Perhaps we could repair to a less public venue?" Less from being royalty then just being a natural with people, Diana simply smiles as people flock and gather around her. She even takes off her helmet so there is no barrier between them as she speaks. She wanted to be a reassuring presence, after all... that's why she was here, among other things. She'll stay as long as it was feasible, helping all she could... The bandana around Psyber Punk's face flutters as he lets out a breath of relief. "Totally knew that," he says as he relaxes as much as he can with the.. swarm? Pack? Herd? Hive? Hive of mental critters on him. "Yes well. Good idea, prolly best to take our leave anyways. Evacuating folks isn't going to keep that shellhead busy forever," he concurs with a nod. "Lead the way Mister." Diana puts the people at ease on the surface, and Iron Man handles things underground. Soon enough, the authorities and paramedics arrive, leaving said shellhead to deal with all the offical wrap-up and paperwork. Oscuros and Psyber Punk vanish away into the Astral Plane to have their parley, and so the evening sets in. The sun has begun to sink away, and the streetlamps are finally serving a purpose besides just burning energy. At least some things still work... at least, for now. News Story VIGILANTES ASSIST IRON MAN IN STOPPING RUNAWAY SUBWAY Dangerous "Techno-Failure" Plagues Trains and Autos photo: Iron Man carries a little girl to safety from a subway car. TRIBECA, NEW YORK - Terror struck when a subway train lost control, and dozens of lives would surely have been lost if not for the timely intervention of several vigilantes and the Sentinel, Iron Man, officials reported late Wednesday. "Iron Man helped get them out and prevented a general panic," said Bill Ford, the train's engineer. "This other guy stopped the train, some guy like a high-tech cowboy. Then some guy dressed like freakin' Darth Vader showed up and they, y'know, POOFed away, like one of those Star Trek transporters." At the same time the train lost control, several automobiles simultaneously malfunctioned above ground. The vigilante known as Wonder Woman was on hand to offer her protection, and two others -- one an unidentified winged man and the other a black-armored man who, witnesses reported, gave his name as Oscuros -- assisted in disabling the runaway vehicles. Officials have not yet stated whether the two incidents were connected, but the investigation is ongoing. Story continues on page A12. Category:Logs Category:Alien Invasion?